Preliminary Draft

Abstract: While there are different types of PPPs, or contracting arrangements, in education, few have been subject to rigorous evaluation. In the case of Latin America, the only innovative PPP experience with a randomized experiment is the case of secondary school vouchers in Colombia. Still, the review of experiences is instructive. In Latin America, the private sector has been shown to run schools efficiently and educate disadvantaged youth. The evidence is especially strong for Colombia’s targeted vouchers and privately managed public schools. While some countries in Latin America have a long history of contracts between government and the private sector, there is a real scarcity of rigorous evidence of impact